Nancy's Mom
by msmarycrawley
Summary: "So, is everyone into that?" She knew exactly what he meant by "everyone", and she didn't feel like dignifying him with a response. Even outside of school, Steve was still asking dumb questions. In which Robin first sees the towns resident MILF and has feelings about it


"What do you think they'll put in place of Starcourt?" Steve asked, throwing the ball he was holding on the ground hard enough for it to escape his line of sight and onto the street. Robin shook her head as she watched him scramble to pick it up. They had been walking arm and arm down the sidewalk for the past ten minutes, not really planning on going anywhere. Their new job was starting soon, she was still trying to process everything she went through, and Steve was still a hot mess.

"Can you just leave it, please?" she asked, knowing it was futile. He had found the stupid thing five minutes back and had been annoying Robin with it since. He was like a pack rat, but only for very specific objects. "No," he said. And now he was moving very slowly on purpose back to her with the ball in his hand. She turned and started speed walking, which did the trick. He caught up to her quickly. Steve didn't like to be left alone, which was something Robin came to find out. Not even for a few minutes, if he could help it. If there was somebody to talk to around, he would start up a conversation almost automatically. It both amazed and infuriated her.

"Why are you so finicky?" Steve grinned as he fell into step next to her. Robin held out her arm for him to take again. "So...what?" She just looked at him.

"What _what_?"

What do you think they'll put in place of the mall?" He repeated. "Oh." That was a legitimate question. Sometimes he liked to talk just to talk, but Robin was wondering that too. "Maybe another mall."

For whatever reason Steve found that funny. "I would _love_ that." Now it was her turn to ask a question. "Why?" He was cradling the ball now, looking at the sky. "Because... I don't know. It's like nothing ever changes, you know? We almost die, and there'll be another mall and nobody will know anything about it. It's ironic."

It wasn't really ironic, but she didn't feel like correcting him because she knew what he meant. Robin just disagreed. Her whole life changed in just the course of a few days. Nobody knew she was gay until now, and she had chosen to confide in the boy she hated in high school. Steve was her best friend. _Steve_. She knew far too much about the world and what was really out there to ever look at it in the same way again. He was still talking but Robin wasn't really listening. They were nearing the center of town and it was getting hot out.

"Hey, let's get something quick to eat," Steve said, loud enough to interrupt her thoughts. He knew she was in another place, and brought her back down. She didn't have to say anything for him to know, and she liked that. He sat down on the stoop near them, and gestured for her to follow. "Alright, sounds good," she replied, surveying the shops across the street for anything that looked interesting-which was a challenge in Hawkins. Between the flashes of cars that passed, she saw... somebody. And once she saw her, it was hard to look away.

For Robin, everything started to move in slow motion. She could feel herself start to blush a little bit. There was this woman, probably her mother's age, just talking and laughing with her friends. She was walking out of a nail salon, and she looked like a brunette, but her hair was a nice soft blonde. Everything about her was well put together, she could tell as much from over here. Her makeup looked perfect, her jewelry was flashy but not too flashy, her bright red lipstick was just the right shade... and she was wearing this pink dress, a little tighter than the other moms, and just a tad lower. It showed off her legs well. She was beautiful, but she was HOT too.

Her voice was loud, and Robin found herself straining to make out what she was saying from across the street. She was the perfect distraction. It was just something about her. She looked so happy and pleasant... and really hot.

Robin hadn't had her first kiss. She hadn't done ANYTHING. The things she felt were so overwhelming, and sometimes she felt dirty when she thought about other women. She thought about how disgusted they'd be, and how they wouldn't want anything to do with her. But other times Robin let herself daydream, about a different life, about women. Moving past the shame would be hard. Steve was helping. She wanted to get closer to this woman, the new object of her affection. Robin was betting that she smelled really nice. Instead, she just said: "Who's she? Do you know?"

Steve had begun throwing the ball again, but stopped and followed his new friend's line of sight. He hadn't been talking for the past few minutes, shockingly. "Her? Nancy's mom."

Robin was starting to make up a story for her in her head. _I bet she makes cookies for all her kid's friends. She gives the best hugs. On the weekends, she's a different person, she lets loose, and she's really freaky in bed. What if she has a double life? She could have a whole different family that nobody knows about. She has a secret and she's dying to tell somebody._ She tore her eyes away from her as she heard Steve speak, but wasn't listening to the words coming out of his mouth. "What?"

"Nancy's mother," he repeated.

Robin looked back at her, and then at Steve again. Then back at her. Now she was REALLY paying attention. "Are you serious? That's Mrs. Wheeler?" He just nodded nonchalantly. _Wow_. Nancy was a pretty girl, but she always found her a little mousy. Her mother... wasn't.

"What's her name?" Robin asked, as if knowing it would matter. She couldn't stop herself from asking. "Does she work, at all?" Her mother did, part-time. "Um, Karen. And no. She's a housewife," Steve ran his fingers through his hair, glancing at Robin, who promptly looked away from Mrs. Wheeler. Then he started to smile, slowly. Mischievously. _Jesus._ Steve knew about some of her crushes, but this was the first time he saw one happen in real-time. She had given herself away.

"Wait, why are you being weird?" He was starting to sit up now. Before she knew it, Robin's fight or flight response was immediately activated. "I'm not," she answered, her heart pounding. Of course, she was blushing even harder now.

"Yeah, you kind of are." Steve was standing. _Shit._  
"No, I'm not."  
"Oh, really? Then you won't mind if I introduce you. HEY, MRS. WHEELER-"

And just like that, Robin bolted. She was surprised how fast she could actually run when she had enough incentive to. There weren't a lot of people on the sidewalk, which made it easier. But it also meant Mrs. Wheeler definitely saw her. She made it around the street corner in no time, not even looking back, and planted herself against the wall. She was so embarrassed she felt like she might die. Robin sat down, concentrating on slowing her breathing and what violence she would inflict upon Steve Harrington once she saw his stupid face again. It took him what felt like 10 minutes to saunter on over and mercifully she had cooled down by then. "Oh my god. You're a track runner." He just bent down, putting his arm on her shoulder. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

After she caught her breath, Robin stared at him incredulously. "You were really going to call her over, weren't you?" Steve smiled at her, still half-laughing. "I mean... yeah. I talked to her. She's nice. You've been teasing me all summer over girls, but I didn't think you were going to do that." Neither did she. But, still. "Steve... that's different." He still didn't understand how one wrong look could ruin her life. How somebody could interpret something that was true, but everybody thought it was wrong, so Robin have to pretend it was wrong and deny who she was. She was always the "weird" girl, but she couldn't afford to be seen as any more weird, at least not in Hawkins. He was trying, but he didn't get it yet. Steve stopped laughing and looked at her seriously. "You're right. I'm sorry," he said, sitting down next to her. "I just didn't think..." "You never do, Harrington," Robin replied, bumping her leg against his half-heartedly.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, until she could see him smiling out of the corner of her eye. "Still, Mrs. Wheeler? Really?" Robin sat up straighter and faced him. "Oh, come on. Haven't you ever had a crush on a teacher? An older actress?" "I guess," Steve said, picking at his thumbnail thoughtfully. He turned to face her too, winking. "So, is everyone into that?" Robin rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what he meant by "everyone", and she didn't feel like dignifying him with a response. Even outside of school, Steve was still asking dumb questions.

"Everybody's different, Steve. Even _us_. But, I mean... look at her. She's hot. I don't think anyone would deny that, regardless of their sexuality." He squinted his eyes in an immediate rejection. Mrs. Wheeler was his ex girlfriend's mother, after all. But then he paused and looked far off into the distance, concentrating like he was solving a difficult math problem, probably picturing her in his mind. He was so _dumb_, she would never understand why girls were so into him in high school.

"Alright," Steve proclaimed resolutely, nodding to himself. "Yep." Then he propped his face up on his hands, looking up at her in a way that she thought was supposed to be cute. "I'm sorry, Robin," he said an affected, higher tone. Robin couldn't help but smile. He was dumb but sincere. "It's okay." Her new friend put his arm around her shoulder. "Let me make it up to you. I'll sneak you into a PTA meeting one of these days."

"Shut UP, Steve."


End file.
